Pasta e fagioli is something we grew up on, though we called it "pastafazool." It's what was fixed for dinner when money was short and everybody had to be full for about 29 cents a head. My mother would save all the leftover veggies and at the end of the week, throw them all in a pot with beans and tomatoes and lots of pasta.

It's still a VERY inexpensive dish to make. I figure it at a couple of bucks for a batch that can server 4-6.